Traill County EDC: Gas pipelines benefiting businesses – Grand Forks Herald

HILLSBORO, N.D. — Approaching two years after the introduction of natural gas pipelines in Traill County, the Traill County Economic Development Commission is seeing benefits and anticipating more.

Jim Murphy, the EDC’s executive director, said there have been some businesses in the county that have switched to using natural gas.

“I’d say we’re very pleased with the addition of that option and that some of our businesses certainly have taken advantage of that,” he said.

Traill County had natural gas pipelines installed in Hillsboro and Mayville in 2021, followed by one in Portland in 2022.

In 2021, Murphy had said

the EDC and other Traill County organizations had worked for 60 years to get natural gas to the county. Now that they have it and have seen the effects, Murphy calls the effort a success.

“One hundred percent, absolutely (worth it),” he said. “This was a big rock to push up the hill and many before us have tried. … It worked this time and I’m glad we were part of that conversation.”

Since the installation, the EDC has noticed measurable improvements in these areas. Murphy said some businesses have been able to improve efficiency, save on costs and add additional opportunities. One such example is Degelman Industries in Hillsboro, which recently added an expansion and avoided an expensive geothermal system by using natural gas instead, which Murphy said accelerated the addition.

Alyssa Short, the EDC’s project coordinator, said the county itself has benefited from using natural gas. There are companies that only utilize this method of energy, which now makes Traill County a possible spot for site selection. Also, the county courthouse, which previously used boilers, has been saving tens of thousands of dollars since natural gas pipelines were implemented.

While the EDC is happy with the improvements, Murphy and Short said as members of the commission, they’re never satisfied.

“The bottom line is that we’re happy with the progress, but we’re not finished and we’re going to keep looking for ways for our business community to thrive,” Murphy said.

Otto is a recent University of North Dakota graduate and reporter at the Herald.